International Journal of Geopolitics and Governance

Factors Influencing Recentralization of Local Government Functions in Uganda

2024-01-12T09:08:04+00:00

The decentralisation system of governance is perceived as one of the recent public sector reforms to improve service delivery in Uganda. It is the transfer of authority from Central to Local Governments to execute their duties to improve service delivery. Various developing countries have praised Uganda’s decentralisation policy regarding the magnitude of the transfer of authority to the local level. However, since 2003, the Central Government started reversing the policy in terms of : recentralization of the appointment of Chief Administrative Officers and Municipal Town Clerks and of recent City Town Clerks (for new cities in Uganda) from the District Service Commissions (DSCs) to the Public Service Commission, recentralization of Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) under the management of the Executive Director, Procurement of drugs from the district health office to the National Medical Stores (NMS), recentralization of the payroll and the recent recentralization of local revenue collection from LGs. This paper focuses on the factors influencing the recentralization of Local Government powers in Uganda. This is presumed to be evidence of the demise of decentralisation policy. From the reviewed articles, these factors include: accountability challenges, human resource management crisis, political interference by local authorities and lack of financial discipline among local authorities and fear of local autonomy. The paper concluded that recentralisation of Local Government functions reduced undue influence of local politicians though it accorded excessive powers to executive officers in Local Governments; human resource crisis was mainly caused by poor man power planning. Recentralisation of local revenue caused financial constraints at the local level and recentralisation of KCCA led to the weakening of the opposition but led to increases resources to develop the capital city. The paper recommended that the Parliament should harmonise with the central government on the issue of returning Local revenue collection and management at the local level; give reasonable powers to the local Governments to control top technical leadership; increase funding to Central Government staff to monitor Local Government programs and build the capacity of local leaders to improve service delivery

Somalia's New Horizon: Joining the East African Community (EAC)

2024-01-31T10:00:55+00:00

Somalia's recent participation in the EAC brings forth transformative opportunities and challenges across various sectors. This report delves into EAC integration, focusing on Somalia's opportunities and challenges, along with policy implications. It emphasizes the importance of comprehending Somalia's dynamic integration into the EAC for informed decision-making and strategic planning. As a member of the EAC Customs Union, Somalia gains access to a larger market, stimulating economic growth and fostering cross-border collaborations. The removal of trade barriers and participation in collaborative ventures offer resilience and connectivity to the global economy. The EAC Common Market reinforces fairness, equity, and cooperation, ensuring Somalia's equal treatment, transparency, and active engagement. Participation in the EAC Monetary Union addresses economic challenges, including dollarization and counterfeit currencies, and will promote economic stability. Somalia's involvement in the Political Federation provides support for lasting peace and recovery from years of conflict. Despite these advantages, challenges arise, including aligning regulations, adapting to increased competition, and navigating the complexities of regional cooperation. The economic landscape of Somalia is rapidly evolving, with notable achievements such as the UN Security Council's decision to end the arms embargo after three decades. Moreover, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) recognizes Somalia's strong implementation of wide-ranging reforms, strengthening key economic and financial policy institutions. This progress positions Somalia for potential debt relief at the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Completion Point in December 2023. These milestones underscore Somalia's commitment to economic development, international trade, and the defeat of terrorism. The Political Federation in EAC brings both opportunities and challenges, requiring Somalia to balance national priorities with regional integration efforts, harmonize governance practices, and ensure political stability

Rethinking the Influence of Agenda Setting Theory: An Assessment of the Influence of Agenda Setting Theory in the Voting Decisions during the 2020 General Election in Tanzania

2024-02-05T11:50:14+00:00

The purpose of this research was to evaluate the agenda setting theory’s ability to affect and impact voters voting decisions during the 2020 Presidential election in Tanzania. The research specifically aimed to ascertain the agenda setting theory’s dominance on the voting decisions in comparison to other dominant third party factors such as prior knowledge, political affiliations and emotions amongst prospective voters. The research used FGD to collect the qualitative data while a survey procedure was used to gather the quantitative data. A total of five FGD were conducted which comprised of between six to nine informants whereas 478 questionnaires were successful returned and used in the analysis. A purposive sampling procedure was used to identify and select participants for the FGD whereas a simple random sampling technique was used for the survey. The participants for both FGD and survey were gotten from the Voter’s Registration Books (VRB) from each wards. The data collection was conducted between December 2020 and January 2021 in the five wards of Nyamagana district in Mwanza, Tanzania. After data collection, the data were coded and cleaned using the Scientific Package for Social Solutions (SPSS) version 20 before analysis. The frequency count, tables, descriptions, explanations, and simple percentage were used to present the research findings. The findings show that Agenda Setting Theory has slightly lost its power, it has been superseded by pre-existing knowledge (52%) and political party affiliations (27%).